Games can be effective devices for learning and remembering rules. Indeed, playing games can be a useful method of indirectly teaching general socialization skills. The use of a game to directly reinforce the learning of social etiquette as a primary purpose is not known, however.
In one example card game commonly referred to as “Old Maid” the rules of the game dictate that the person holding the old maid card at the end of the game is the loser. In a game called “Hot Potato” the rules dictate that the person holding the potato at the end of the game is the loser. Furthermore, a game called “Tag” designates one person as the person who is “it”. The person who is “it” tries to touch another person. Successfully touching another person causes the person who is touched to become “it”. The game of tag does not necessarily have an ending, but the players may agree to end or suspend the game. None of these typical games directly reinforces rules of etiquette in a social setting, and it is not typical for any of these games to be played during a meal, for example.